Shadow Apprentice by Linda Browne

Author:Linda Browne
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781739018306
Publisher: Crooked Mile Media

Ermin made several passes with the carpet before she felt brave enough to set down on a flat roof that overlooked John Smith’s forge. She scanned the neighboring rooftops for any sign of Rats but saw only a jumble of chimney pots. She restrained her impulse to fly straight down into the yard. Rats could be hiding down there and she’d never know it. She wasn’t about to give Rory one more reason to chase her.

All this thinking about the Rats stirred a distant memory of Snarl and Mouse sitting together on a barrel. A sudden pang of regret hit her. Maybe if she hadn’t pushed so hard for the apprenticeship, they’d still be around. Maybe not. They’d never taken any pledge or sworn any oaths to each other. Ermin was just glad they’d escaped. Of course, that gave Rory yet another reason to hunt her down: to exact revenge on her for stealing two of his Rats. Would the settling of scores never end?

Speaking of scores, she had one of her own to settle. She pulled the carpet tight around her shoulders and shimmied down the nearest drainpipe. No Rats, as far as she could see. That was one thing that had gone right today. The forge was quiet, the fires cold. Was John Smith sleeping off one of his drunken rages or had he gone to the pub, leaving behind a trail of broken chairs and bruised limbs? If it was the former, Denny had likely fled the shop, but if it was the latter…

Forgetting caution, she ran into the yard. As she raced past the cold furnace, a hand shot out and seized her by the wrist. A thin hand, much smaller than the heavy hand of John Smith. She was almost jerked off her feet by the sudden stop.

“What are you doing here?” Denny hissed. He’d been crouched down before a mangled mess of parts and gears, but he rose to his feet.

“Come to pay off my debt, haven’t I.”

“Well, it’s taken you long enough—so long that I thought you’d run off.”

“I already told you that I can’t pick up my messages. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. I had to leave town in a hurry.” Ermin hoped that Denny would believe her. She’d told him as much of the truth as she dared to admit, and he’d never been one for prying.

“Oh.” The scowl on Denny’s face softened. Ermin noticed the fresh purple bruise on his cheek.

She bit her lip. There was no point in asking questions. Everyone in the Creek knew that Denny was indentured to a drunken brute. What would be the point of drawing attention to something he couldn’t fix or change? “I came by to ask if there’s anything that needs fixing.”

“The mechanical bellows are broken. John Smith took a pry bar to them. I saved some of the pieces, as you can see.”

Ermin suppressed a sigh. Reconstructing mechanical bellows that had been smashed to pieces was a lot of work, none of it easy.

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